YOUNG WORKERS LEGAL SERVICE

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (15:47): I rise today to draw attention to the important work of the Young Workers Legal Service (YWLS). I had the pleasure of visiting this organisation—an important initiative of SA Unions—when I was minister for industrial relations, and I remain a great admirer of its work. Staffed by legally qualified industrial officers assisted by volunteer law students, the Young Workers Legal Service provides strong advocacy with regard to exploitation of the young in the workplace.

We all know that young people are particularly vulnerable in the workplace, and there are plenty of people out there who would take advantage and exploit them for their own personal gains, so the work of the YWLS is very important. A major focus of this organisation is the provision of free legal advice and representation to workers under 30 who are experiencing workplace-related problems. Those advocacy services centre, in the main, on discrimination, unfair treatment (such as unpaid wages or unfair dismissal) and injury in the workplace—an issue with which I am particularly concerned.

The YWLS plays an important role, too, in connecting young workers with their unions. It is well known that workplaces that have a strong union presence normally have higher wages, fewer workplace health and safety issues and also less exploitation. This organisation plays a particular role where there is not a strong union presence.

Involvement in a union is beneficial for young workers for a number of reasons, above and beyond the advocacy and support services they offer, and I would certainly urge all young workers to join the relevant union as soon as they start their first job. The YWLS annual report 2011-12 showed that the Young Workers Legal Service supported some 420 young workers over the financial year, and more than $215,000 in the form of unpaid wages and compensation was recovered for these hundreds of young workers.

The service dealt with a variety of issues over the period, including, unsurprisingly, termination of employment, wages entitlements, discrimination and bullying, sexual harassment and apprenticeship and trainee disputes. It represented workers across the retail, hospitality and administration sectors at Fair Work Australia, our local Industrial Relations Court, Industrial Relations Commission, the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Meanwhile, officers of the YWLS appeared in print and on radio and television at state and national levels in discussion of the issues confronting young workers, also including unpaid internships and unpaid trial shifts, insecure work and child labour. It is clear that, despite fairer laws in the workplace, young people continue to be discriminated against, treated unfairly and injured at work. Sound knowledge of workplace rights and the responsibilities that accompany them is a powerful tool for young workers, and this service ensures that clients leave well equipped for the future.

I should add that the student volunteers from our three law schools are fundamental to the success of the YWLS. In return, the experience provided by working face to face with young workers experiencing difficulties in the workplace adds value to their learning. Competition for positions is an indicator of the interest these students have in this area of the law.

Young people should always feel safe in the hands of a Labor government, unlike the opposition who oppose our legislation to protect workers. Take, for example, the work health and safety legislation, where the Hon. Mr Lucas went on to the airwaves to spread a baseless and unsubstantiated campaign on all levels of work health and safety, with the aim of spreading fear down the vertebrae of decent, hardworking volunteers. It was one of the most disgraceful examples of spreading baseless and unsubstantiated allegations.

There is still work to do. All workers, especially those at the start of their working lives, have the right to be empowered and protected where necessary. The Young Workers Legal Service is one organisation that makes these aims possible, and I am pleased to commend its work in this place today.